Tuesday, July 26, 2011

To cut through the clutter, Google has opted to publish its "Think Quarterly" b-to-b publication on paper and to bind it. Yes, the result in plain English is a hardcover book. And (are you sitting down?) Google will distribute it to marketing execs by postal mail.

Granted, Google's book has a few cool production values most books don't (not even CorporateHistory.net's corporate histories, though we may consider these ideas). Words on the front cover can be moved around, like magnets on a refrigerator. And when you touch the endpapers the colors will change, just like the mood rings you enjoyed in fourth grade.

No big surprise, really, if you recall what Sergey Brin, Google’s cofounder and president of technology, told The New York Times on January 5, 2009: “There is fantastic information in books. Often when I do a search, what is in a book is miles ahead of what I find on a Web site.”

I love to think of Brin sitting in his office with a volume of Shakespeare, getting caught up in Hamlet and discovering the origin of "hoist on his own petard."

Monday, July 18, 2011

The Chicago Manual of Style first appeared in 1906, as a handbook for typographers at the University of Chicago Press. Now in its sixteenth edition, it is one of the most widely used guides to grammar, usage, and document preparation for American English. The main About Us page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: A

Personality: AThe only people mentioned on the Chicago Manual of Style site are the eminent figures on the Advisory Board. This is perfectly appropriate, since the Manual is portrayed as an impersonal authority on currently accepted usage--not as a group of writers with quirks of their own.

The image of an impersonal authority is buttressed by the substantial page devoted to the history of the Manual, which stresses its origins as the handbook for a university press with advisors in publishing and academia. We would like to see that large block of text broken up with some illustrations: covers of earlier editions are the obvious choice.

The layout--a sturdy, legible font in pink, green, and blue on a white background--matches the personality the Manual is projecting: classic with a modern edge. We were particularly struck by this in contrast to Berkshire Hathaway’s site, where the colors are similar but both the font and the colors seem to be computer defaults.

Products/Services: A+Since the bulk of the Manual’s sales are probably current users buying updated editions, it’s a great touch to have pages listing what’s new in the 16th edition and significant rule changes. We love the offer of the first edition of the Manual as a free PDF. It reminds readers that the Manual has been in use for a hundred years, but also gives us a glimpse into how usage has changed, and presumably will keep on changing. All the more reason to buy the latest edition of the Manual.

Accessibility: BContact information is buried under “Help,” but the options are perfectly adequate to this particular site: contact customer service, report a problem with the site, or submit a question.

TAKEAWAYThis is a nearly perfect, laser-focused site for a single product that relies largely on repeat customers. It’s simple and elegant, with the on the authority of the product and the customer’s need for the latest version.

Does your Web site’s “About Us” section accurately convey your organization’s history and capabilities? Every two weeks we evaluate one example, grading it in three areas that are key to potential customers: Personality (Who are you?), Products/Services (What can you do for us?), and Accessibility (How can we reach you?). Contact us if you’d like to have your site evaluated—there’s no charge and no obligation.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company, although CMS is our style guide of choice.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Sierra Trading Post has peppered its summer catalogs with short blurbs celebrating “25 Years of Great Deals.” Nothing fancy, but that’s in keeping with a company that offers closeouts and seconds from brand-name retailers. Even this super-casual approach to corporate history relies on the usual good elements: timelines, memorabilia, photos.

But what’s especially effective are the tributes to the company's history from business partners like Columbia Sportswear and long-time customers. And Sierra Trading Post is celebrating by giving away more than $25,000 worth of goodies to entrants (in exchange for your email address) at www.stp.me/25th.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Berkshire Hathaway, run by Warren Buffett and headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, oversees and manages businesses ranging from railroads (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) and ice cream (Dairy Queen) to paint (Benjamin Moore), underwear (Fruit of the Loom), and newspapers (Buffalo News). Over the past 40-odd years the company’s average annual growth has been 20 percent, making Buffett one of the most successful investors of all time and Berkshire Hathaway the eighth largest public company in the world (market value $187 billion). At over $110,000 per share of Class A stock, Berkshire Hathaway is the most expensive stock on the New York Stock Exchange. Its home page is here.

OVERALL GRADE: D (for “Defies Grading”)Of the 19 "About Us" and corporate history evaluations we've written, Berkshire Hathaway has been by far the most difficult--and not because of the complexity of the site, which consists of a couple pages of blue text on a white ground. If it were any more low-tech, the page would be in DOS. There is no About Us page, and very little of the information we usually grade on: personality, products, accessibility. Someone seeking to check facts about Berkshire Hathaway would come up empty-handed.

On the other hand, we had to ask: What’s the point of spending time and money on an About Us page when your business is that successful and your founder is lauded as “The Oracle of Omaha”? Do you really need a corporate history page when bookshelves are groaning with volumes about Warren Buffett?

In the case of Berkshire Hathaway, we think it comes down to this: Even for a company as stupendously successful as Berkshire Hathaway, having a decent website (including an About Us page) is like putting on a clean shirt and tie to go to the office: you do it partly from self-respect, partly from attention to the current conventions. “Decent” in this case doesn’t mean all the latest bells and whistles. It means offering the right content in the right order. With that in mind, we offer these comments.

Accessibility: F (or A)Berkshire Hathaway is famous for keeping minimal staff at its headquarters. Its stockholders trust Warren Buffett’s judgment and don’t expect to be consulted about Berkshire Hathaway’s investments. Not surprisingly, the company positively discourages contact: “If you have any comments about our WEB page [caps theirs] you can either write us at the address shown above or e-mail us at berkshire@berkshirehathaway.com. However, due to the limited number of personnel in our corporate office, we are unable to provide a direct response.”

By our usual standards, Berkshire Hathaway ought to get an “F” for making it difficult to contact them. By their own standards, they get an “A” for eliminating distractions and getting on with their work.

Personality: FThe website conveys none of the personality of Warren Buffett or the exemplary record of Berkshire Hathaway stock. We can understand the choice not to promote themselves. However, we are exasperated by the order of the material that is included.

The most prominent place on the home page (top of the left column) has a link to a Message from Warren E. Buffett, which turns out to be an exhortation to buy from GEICO Insurance and Borsheim’s, two companies that Berkshire Hathaway owns.

Why are the annual and interim reports in the left-hand column, the letters to stockholders on the right? Why is the one and only link to a time-sensitive issue (Sokol’s trading in Lubrizol shares) halfway down the right-hand column, tucked between Charlie Munger’s letters to shareholders and annual meeting information? A few horizontal lines would do wonders to clarify the organization of this page.

One good point: most links on the home page say “Updated June 24, 2011” (or whatever the actual date was). We wish more sites did this.

Products/Services: DThe home page includes a link to a page of companies Berkshire Hathaway owns. If it’s worth having this list on the site, then it’s worth including the company logos and a one-line description of the products and services they offer. It would be an effective way of promoting all these companies as well as GEICO and Borsheim’s.

TAKEAWAYA website, including an About Us page, is the public face of the 21st-century company. Even if the company is famous, the site should meet certain basic standards of good writing and presentation. There’s plain and then there’s too plain – and then there’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Does your Web site’s “About Us” section accurately convey your organization’s history and capabilities? Every two weeks we evaluate one example, grading it in three areas that are key to potential customers: Personality (Who are you?), Products/Services (What can you do for us?), and Accessibility (How can we reach you?). Contact us if you’d like to have your site evaluated—there’s no charge and no obligation.

Today’s example was chosen at random; CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.

CorporateHistory.net can help you turn your company history into an effective and beautiful book, DVD, Web site, keynote speech, or campaign. Whether you want to celebrate a company anniversary, honor a retiring CEO, or strategize your corporate storytelling, CorporateHistory.net can help. We believe organizations suffer when their memory erodes, just as people do. Your institutional memory is a stranded asset until you put it to work. Then it becomes a powerful, cost-effective tool for marketing, community relations, and employee pride.Please visit our website:http://www.corporatehistory.net/